Yesterday, we advocated that Notre Dame and West Virginia
join the ACC. We were wrong. (Sorry,
again.)

Upon further review, and yes the voices in our heads are on
a continuous annoying loop, we have decided that the most logical newbies would
be West Virginia and Penn State.

Now, you and the university presidents may be coveting UConn
and Rutgers due to your fascination with the Northeast television audience, but
take a moment to consider our proposal.

We understand that you are afflicted with an intense focus on
the Northeast simply because you correctly believe that the millions of people
who live between Piscataway, NJ and Storrs, CT will increase A(ME)CC viewership
and give the league even more leverage for the next time you visit the
ESPN/FoxSports/CBS ATM cash machine otherwise known as the league’s television
contract.

That said, let’s forget about money for just a moment…

Whoa, that was scary!
Are you OK? We promise, we will
never say that again…

OK, we won’t forget the money…but, we will set it aside for
just a moment.

In terms of geography and tradition, and, HEAVEN FORBID,
common sense, the Mountaineers and the Nittany Lions seem perfect fits.

Penn State is sort of the odd school out in the Big Ten. They
don’t really have a natural rivalry with the Big 10 football powers Ohio State
(12-12), Michigan (the WVU Wikipedia page doesn’t list the Wolverines as a
current or dormant rival!) or Michigan State (12-3) of any duration or
intensity. Who cares about Penn State
vs. Iowa or Penn State vs. Illinois?

Back in the old days, the biggest game on PSU’s schedule was
against Pitt. The Pennsylvania Classic was a great example of two in-state
rivals that hated each other. They last
played in 2000 – a crime of sorts for two football schools a mere 130 miles
apart.

From 1917 to 1993, Joe Pa's Lions used to stomp Maryland on
a regular basis. Just kidding, of
course, Joe Pa wasn’t there in 1917, it just seems like it…However, in that time span Penn state won
35 of 37 games with the Terps managing but one win in 1961 (coincidentally, that was the year Maryland became the first team to add the players' names to their jerseys.) There was one tie in 1989. Why not give the men from College Park a chance at a little redemption?

West Virginia is so obvious, we can’t stand it. They are adept at both football and
basketball. They have enough crazy
working to create a rock solid lacrosse program. Add to those qualifications add existing
rivalries with Maryland, Virginia Tech, Pitt and, to some extent, Miami…all
their old buddies from the Big (L)East and they'll have A(ME)CC written all over Morgantown. (Yeah, it'll be in spray paint, but it will be written.)

Also, starting in 1904, and then continuously from 1947 to
1992, Penn State played the Mountaineers. The Nit-Lions led the series when it
ended 48-9-2. The WVU faithful last burned a couch over this one in 1988
when West Virginia clobbered PSU 51-30.

In conclusion, the geography makes sense and brings more of
the big Pennsylvania audience for the coveted remote control demographic, and the
rivalries work. Finally, the Mountaineers burn couches for crying out loud!

It’s a no brainer.

The new A(ME)CC:

North (in geographical order, or thereabouts):

Syracuse

Boston College

Pitt

Penn State

West Virginia

Maryland

Virginia

Virginia Tech

South:

North Carolina

North Carolina State

Duke

Wake Forest

Clemson

Georgia Tech

Florida State

Miami

If you want four divisions with four teams each, that’s easy
too, but we don’t see the point.

North Northern Division: Syracuse, Boston College, Penn
State and Pitt

North Southern Division: West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia
and Virginia Tech

“I’m unhappy the Big East broke up. That’s a completely
different thing than saying I’m unhappy about going to the ACC.I think it’s a great league. I think we can benefit from being in the ACC. Kids
that we’re recruiting like us and the ACC. There aren’t many kids that don’t
like to play against Duke and North Carolina. We’re going to a great league and
it’s going to be great basketball. Period.”

Dr. Wahoo Griffin (not his real name, his real name is Al) of Warrenton, VA by way of
the University of Virginia, a charter member of the T.A.H. Foundation and loyal
reader since Day 1 (back in 2005!), won the Open Timber race at the Blue Ridge
Races last weekend at the Woodley Farm racecourse in Berryville, VA.

The good doctor won with a six-year-old Virginia-bred named
Aero. Trained by Virginian Doug Fout (The
Plains, VA) and ridden by Jeff Murphy (Millwood, VA), Aero was close to the
pace early on and then gained control before the last fence winning off by 3 ½ lengths.

Aero enjoys international connections being by Northern Spur
(IRE), out of Best Victory (FR) by Cadoudal (FR). "IRE" as in Ireland and "FR" as in France, but you probably figured that out already.

Aero was bred by the Eldon Farm Racing Stable
LLC which is located in Charlottesville, VA not far from what students and
alums call “The University.”

Eain Smith of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts to
the announcement that Pitt and Syracuse, not the Mountaineers, will be joining
the new ACC (the Atlantic Mountain East Coast Conference or A(ME)CC).

Few people had as big an impact on modern college basketball as Dave Gavitt who died last Friday of congestive heart failure. The former coach at Providence founded the Big East and ushered in the modern era of big money and television.

As a coach, Gavitt (Dartmouth ’59) took the Friars to the Final Four with a team led by Ernie DeGregorio and Marvin “The Eraser” Barnes.

In 1979, Gavitt gathered up a group of athletic directors to start the Big East -- a basketball conference focused on conference tournies, big arenas and a television deal with ESPN.

He served as Big East commissioner until 1990.

According to the New York Times, “Gavitt envisioned a time when major basketball colleges in the East would draw on big-city television and marketing opportunities to create a high-profile league, bringing enhanced revenue and the recruitment of star high school players.”

(Dartmouth)

Gavitt also was selected as the 1980 U.S. Olympic basketball coach. He served as the President of USA Basketball, Executive Director of the NCAA Foundation, CEO of the Boston Celtics (1990-1994), Chairman of the Board of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and broadcast analyst for NCAA basketball games on both radio and television.

The Birmingham (Ala.) News reported Monday that in a morning appearance at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said he expects the ACC tournament will mostly be held in the South and occasionally come to Madison Square Garden, where the Big East holds its annual tournament.

"It's a great place for a tournament. Where would you want to go to to a tournament for five days? Let's see: Greensboro, North Carolina, or New York City? Jeez. Let me think about that one and get back to you."

Ouch.

(Editor’s Note: Well...he may have a point, Greensboro is a perfectly nice city, but it ain’t the Big Apple. Clearly, Boeheim didn’t get the memo where Ol’ Roy stirred up some controversy calling the ACC tourney a meaningless cocktail party. Yee-hah...NEW YORK CITEEE??)

UNC's Tydreke Powell (91) reaches for a piece of Virginia quarterback Michael Rocco's (16) jersey in the first quarter. (Photo by Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

Nice tan lines on the foreheads...USA team captain Jim Remy poses with his players after the USA defeated Great Britain and Ireland 17.5 to 8.5 to win the 25th PGA Cup at the CordeValle Golf Club on September 18, 2011 in San Martin, California. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Third-seeded Wang Shixian of China smashes the shuttlecock against Pi Hongyan of France during their women's singles first round match at the Japan Open badminton championships in Tokyo on September 21, 2011. Wang won the match 21-9, 12-21, 21-11. (Photo by Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP PHOTO)

Ouch. Alipate Fatafehi of Tonga tackles Ryan Nicholas of Japan by the privates during the IRB 2011 Rugby World Cup Pool A match between Tonga and Japan at Northland Events Centre on September 21, 2011 in Whangarei, New Zealand. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The
talk out in sports cyberspace, on radio and television is trending toward UConn
and Rutgers being the next two schools to join the ever-expanding ACC (which we
now refer to as the AMECC: Atlantic Mountain East Coast Conference.)

Much
is being said about UConn, a well-established basketball power with an recently
improving football program. The Huskies enjoy an obvious rivalry with
Syracuse while Rutgers is...well...close to that mysterious magical coveted
wonderland NYC and its seemingly endless media market. Oh yeah, and
Rutgers is near the Jersey Shore.

Really?
The Snookification of the ACC?

We
say: Nonsense.

If
the old ACC (and the new AMECC) is going to expand to 16 teams the next two
logical choices are obvious: Notre Dame and West Virginia.

Notre
Dame’s independence in football is getting harder and harder to maintain.
It will be nearly impossible to schedule their traditional rivals if the “four
super conferences” scenario plays out. While it would seem a logical fit
for the Golden Domers to join the Big Ten, a better play financially and
geographically (in terms of the fan base) would be an East Coast league with
ties to that mysterious magical coveted wonderland NYC and its seemingly
endless media market.

West
Virginia makes sense for geographic reasons (it would cut down some travel
time, and who doesn't want to go to Morgantown at least once a year?)
and Maryland, Virginia Tech and Pitt already have healthy rivalries with the
Mountaineers.

BILLBOARD IN WACO, TX - THE HOME OF BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

That
said the downside is pretty obvious. With all that basketball muscle the
ACC (AMECC) teams would be pretty worn down after a brutal regular seasons and
conference tournament -- a problem which seems to have plagued some members of
the Old Big East when it came time for the Big Dance.

In
addition, the better football programs make it more difficult to go undefeated
and have a shot at the BCS National Championship game under the current system.
But one upside of the "superconference scenario" is that it
consolidates power and should make it easier to negotiate a limited playoff
utilizing the current bowl system.

None
the less, if the ACC (AMECC) is going to continue to expand into a super
conference why not go for a waning Super Power (Notre Dame) with tremendous
clout and a traditional rival of several of your existing members (WVU).

The Yellow Jackets' triple-option attack distributed the ball evenly among a dozen different rushers en route to 604 yards and seven touchdowns rushing in a 66-24 annihilation of Kansas.

No single Tech player carried the ball more than nine times, but as a team the Jackets averaged more than 12 yards per carry and broke twelve runs covering at least 20 yards, including 95 and 63-yard touchdown runs, respectively, on their first offensive snaps of each half.

With another 164 yards passing on top of the obscene rushing total — Tech quarterback Tevin Washington averaged 23.4 yards on four completions, two of them going for long scores — the Jackets set a school record for total offense and made the Jayhawks look awful.

Manuel, who didn’t practice Monday, is one of several Seminole offensive players who could miss the team’s first road test of the young season. Fisher had only four scholarship receivers healthy at Monday’s practice.

“It affects you,” the second-year head coach conceded. “Injuries are a part of football. We’ll move around and do differed personnel groupings.”

Manuel sprained his non-throwing left shoulder in Saturday’s 23-13 loss to top-ranked Oklahoma, and doctors checked him again Monday to see if the injury was severe enough to keep him out of the Clemson game.

The University of North Carolina has inflicted self-imposed penalties on its football program after university and enforcement staff concluded several players had received impermissible benefits in violation of NCAA bylaws governing agents, runners and preferential treatment.

The Tar Heels will vacate all victories from the 2008 and 2009 seasons, dock the team nine scholarships over the next three years and put itself on two years of probation. North Carolina went 8-5 in both seasons.

"We accept responsibility for mistakes that were made in terms that are balanced, measured and fair," director of athletics Dick Baddour said Monday in a statement.

The university also fined itself $50,000 and declared an official disassociation with former defensive back Chris Hawkins and former tutor Jennifer Wiley. We aren’t sure how one “fines onself,” but we’ll get back to you on that one.

Meanwhile, students over in Durham took to the streets, drinking, singing and lighting the famous Duke benches on fire to celebrate the first back-to-back wins against their rival since 1885 or whenever it was that the Ol’ Ballcoach was there.

OFFENSIVE BACK - Tajh Boyd, Clemson, QB, So., 6-1, 225, Hampton, Va. Boyd completed 30-42 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in Clemson's 38-24 victory that ended Auburn's 17-game winning streak. Boyd led the Clemson offense to 624 yards of total offense, the third highest total in Clemson history. Boyd's 386 yards passing were the second most in Clemson history. He also rushed for 30 yards giving him 416 yards of total offense, fourth most in Clemson history.

RECEIVER and ROOKIE - Sammy Watkins, Clemson, WR, Fr., 6-1, 200, Fort Myers, Fla. Watkins caught 10 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns in Clemson's 38-24 victory over Auburn. The freshman from Florida established Clemson freshman records for receptions, reception yards and touchdown receptions in a game with the performance. He also had 44 yards rushing on seven attempts, giving him 199 yards from scrimmage, the most by a Clemson player since the 2009 ACC Championship game when C.J. Spiller had 238 against Georgia Tech. Watkins was also named Rivals.com Freshmen Of The Week.

WATKINS (Streter Lecka/Getty Images)

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN - Omoregie Uzzi, Georgia Tech, OG, Jr., 6-3, 300, Lithonia, Ga. Uzzi and the Yellow Jacket offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage in Georgia Tech's 66-24 win over Kansas. The Jackets broke an NCAA record for yards per rushing attempt (12.1), broke an ACC record for rushing yards (604) and smashed a school record for total offense (768). Tech allowed only one sack on the day.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN - Bjoern Werner, Florida State, DE, So., 6-4, 273, Berlin, Germany Werner was a pivotal performer from his left end position as the Seminoles held the Sooners to 310 total yards; their lowest output since the 2009 season. A first-year starter, Werner posted a career-high six tackles (5 solos, 1 assist), which included two tackles for loss and a sack of OU quarterback Landry Jones. He was also credited with one quarterback hurry. Werner leads FSU with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks this season.

UZZI (Dennis Hubbard/Icon SMI)

LINEBACKER - Luke Kuechly, Boston College, LB, Jr., 6-3, 237, Cincinnati, Ohio Junior LB Luke Kuechly recorded 23 tackles in Boston College's 20-19 loss to Duke, marking a career high and tying Stephen Boyd for second on the school's all-time single-game list. Boyd recorded 23 tackles against Virginia Tech in 1993. Saturday's game marked the third game of Kuechly's career with 20 or more tackles. Kuechly now has 399 career tackles. He is positioned to become the fifth Eagle and 32nd player from the ACC to ever record 400 career tackles.

DEFENSIVE BACK - Matt Merletti, North Carolina, S, Sr., 5-11, 205, Cleveland, Ohio Senior Matt Merletti made seven tackles and intercepted two passes in Carolina's 28-17 win over Virginia. Merletti's two interceptions came on Virginia's final two possessions to help the Tar Heels secure the victory. Merletti had caught some flack from his teammates all week after dropping an interception against Rutgers.

SPECIALIST - Dustin Hopkins, Florida State, K, Jr., 6-2, 190, Houston, Texas. Hopkins extended his streak of consecutive field goal conversions to 13, connecting from 53 and 46 yards against Oklahoma. Hopkins' 53-yarder was the second-longest of his career. Hopkins is 6-of-6 on field goal attempts this season and has converted all 13 of his PAT attempts. In addition to his streak of 13 consecutive successful field goals, Hopkins has now converted 99 consecutive PATs and is just nine shy of tying the Florida State record held by Derek Schmidt since 1986.

Rivals.com College Football Editor Mike Huguenin thinks the ACC has opened up the floodgates of doom saying:

“I still think the move to four 16-team 'super conferences' will kill college sports as we know it. You would think someone would step up and say, ‘Wait a minute. Have we really thought this through?’ But because they think there is one more buck out there to be made, the commissioners are in a sort of feeding frenzy.”

Danario Alexander of the St. Louis Rams catches a 19-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against Michael Coe of the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 19, 2011 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants won. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees acknowledges the crowd after recording his 602nd carer save making him the all-time saves leader. (Photo by Justin Lane/EPA)

An aerial view shows part of the illuminated Marina Bay circuit of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at dusk. (Photo by David Loh/Reuters)

Redskins officials make sure these two fans have left every last nickel inside of Fed Ex field before leaving after the Redskins defeated the Cardinals 22-21 on Sunday…Not really…fans are patted-down by security before the game under the new "enhanced" pat-down procedures requested by the NFL. The league wants all 32 clubs to search fans from the ankles to the knees as well as the waist up. That should make it easier to get in the stadium further enhancing the game day experience…(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images North America)

Monday, September 19, 2011

Clemson moved into the national rankings for the first time since the end of the 2009 season at No. 21. Auburn, which carried that spot into Death Valley, fell from The Associated Press poll for the second time this season.

The ACC Tigers rolled up 624 yards to end the SEC Tiger’s 17-game winning streak with a 38-24 victory.

Auburn was ranked No. 23 in the preseason, then fell out after needing a late rally to beat Utah State 42-38 in the opener. Auburn returned a week ago following a 41-34 victory over Mississippi State.

Clemson comes it at #21 in the AP Poll and #22 in the USA Today poll. The Tigers join the Seminoles (down from #5 to #11 AP, #14 USA Today), the Hokies (#13, #11), Georgia Tech (#25, #24) and North Carolina (#24 - USA Today).

In a battle of former ACC quarterbacks, Matt Ryan (formerly of Boston College) led the his Atlanta Falcons to a comeback victory over Michael Vick (Virginia Tech) and the Philadelphia Eagles last night in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Jacory Harris throwing for a touchdown Miami against the Ohio State Buckeyes on September 17, 2011 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Vince WIlliams #11 of the Florida State Seminoles makes a tackle with Nigel Gradham #13 on a third down stop against Dominique Whaley #8 of the Oklahoma Sooners at Doak Campbell Stadium on September 17, 2011 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the Florida Marlins at Nationals Park on 17, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America)

(L - R) University of Pittsburgh athletic director Steve Pederson and Chancellor Mark Nordenberg speak during a press conference following the acceptance of the University of Pittsburgh into the Atlantic Coast Conference on September 18, 2011 at Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images North America)

The England (white) and Georgian teams scrum during their Rugby World Cup Pool B match at the Otago stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. (Photo by Natacha Pisarenko/AP)

Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback Kevin Kolb is sacked by the Redskins’ Brian Orakpo in the first have of Washington’s come-from-behind 22-21 victory. The Redskins are 2-0 for the first time since 2007. (Photo by Evan Vucci/AP)

Floyd Mayweather slams a right to the head of WBC Welterweight Champion Victor Oritz in the third round of their fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Mayweather knocked out Ortiz in the fourth round. (Photo by John Gurzinski/AFP/Getty Images)

New York Yankee Brett Gardner jumps up against a giant Nikon ad attempting to catch a home run hit by Toronto Blue Jay Adam Lind. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Reuters)

Kenny Shaw #81 of the Florida State Seminoles is taken off the field after suffering an injury from a double helmet-to-helmet hit during play against the Oklahoma Sooners at Doak Campbell Stadium on September 17, 2011 in Tallahassee, Florida. After gaining hospital clearance following x-rays and tests, the Florida State receiver returned to Doak Campbell Stadium for the final three minutes of the Seminoles 23-13 loss. He walked off the field at the end of the game looking quite healthy. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America)

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Clemson Tigers players run down the hill before the start of
their game against the Auburn Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South
Carolina. Clemson defeated Auburn
38-24. (Photo by Jake Drake/Cal Sport
Media)

Allen Hurns of the Miami Hurricanes catches a pass from
Jacory Harris #12 for a touchdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes in th first
quarter on September 17, 2011 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images North
America)

Jeremiah Attaochu #45 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
breaks up a pass intended for Tim Biere #86 of the Kansas Jayhawks at Bobby
Dodd Stadium on September 17, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C.
Cox/Getty Images North America)

A general view of Death Valley during Clemson’s game at
Memorial Stadium against Auburn. (Photo
by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America)

Members of the Maryland Terrapins wait to be introduced
before the start of their game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Byrd
Stadium on September 17, 2011 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Rob
Carr/Getty Images North America)

Duke defensive graduate assistant John Russell jumps into
the arms safety Matt Daniels (40) after Boston College kicker Nate Freese
missed a field goal from the 23 yard-line with 43 seconds remaining in the
fourth quarter of an NCAA football game at Alumni Stadium on the Boston College
campus in Boston, Saturday afternoon, Sept. 17, 2011. Duke defeated Boston
College 20-19. (Photo by Stephan
Savoia/AP Photos)

WHERE IN THE WORLD...?

The way it is...

The way it was...

TAH DAMN GOOD CAUSE OF THE MONTH

NORTHERN HAITI HOPE FOUNDATION: After our recent trip to Haiti, we vowed to do more to help. Clean water is a critical issue for all Haitians. It's particularly problematic for those in rural areas. For $2,000 to $5,000 we can build a new well in a rural village as part of a program facilitated by the St. Barthelemy School and the Warrenton, VA Rotary. Send your donation to Wells of Health and Hope, c/o GPetty-VTA, 38 Garrett Street, Warrenton, VA 20186 and keep your eye on T.A.H. for progress reports. Thanks! CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR MORE INFO.